


Inside the West Wing

by kethni



Category: Veep (TV)
Genre: F/M, Interviews, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21984817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kethni/pseuds/kethni
Summary: Ben: Yeah! You don’t bring in some new guy and let him swing his balls around. I had to take him in hand.Narrator: You had to get a grip on his balls.Ben: Oh, I got a grip on him alright.
Relationships: Ben Cafferty/Kent Davison
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Inside the West Wing

**Author's Note:**

> For CrazyMaryT

Narrator: In the intense pressure-cooker environment of the West Wing, staffers rarely last an entire term, let alone multiple terms under two different presidents. Ben Cafferty and Kent Davison are the rare men with the strength and the stoicism to whether the stress of working for the most important person on the earth. So, what makes these men different? What gives them the strength and integrity to serve the American President in some of those difficult times in history?

Ben: Coffee, mostly. I have a big mug that my wife bought. Nine cups. I fucking love my mug. If the building burned down, the only thing I would save would be my mug.

Narrator: Ah. The mug metaphor. Meaning of course… 

Ben: What? It’s a mug. See? Here it is. You want metaphors, talk to Kent. Or similes. He’s always doing that shit.

Narrator: Kent Davison is, of course, the second longest serving staffer in the West Wing.

Ben: Is he? That’s fucking depressing. He’s not even a career guy. Did you know that? He’s only been in politics for like five years or something. Not like me. I put my time in. 

Narrator: We’d love to hear more about that.

Ben: Hughes recruited him out of MIT. Didn’t ask me about it. It’s all new. When we started, we didn’t need polls or focus groups or any of that shit.

Narrator: I meant –

Ben: But I’m a dinosaur. I have to “move with the times.” You know what that means? It means doing everything crap twice as much and replacing everything okay with something more difficult and less successful. Progress they call it. Progress isn’t a synonym for better.

Narrator: Uh, so you weren’t in favour of recruiting Kent Davison?

Ben: Stop saying his name like that. He’s not the Queen of England. I call him Kent because I know him. You don’t know so call him, I don’t know, Mr Davison I guess. I can think of plenty worse things people call him.

Narrator: Right. But you weren’t in favour of his appointment.

Ben: Ha. I knew what he was going to be like. Soon as I saw him. I knew he’d be butting heads against me. He’s that type. Won’t just lie down and take it.

Narrator: You wanted him to… lie down and take it?

Ben: I’m the top dog. That’s just how it is.

Narrator: He wanted to be on top?

Ben: I’ve been doing this job since college. I know what the fuck I’m doing. He’s all about the theory and numbers. All that shit. He didn’t know the practical side for shit. I had to take him in hand.

Narrator: When you first met?

Ben: Hughes set him up in a fucking office of his own. He brought his own fucking staff. Can you believe that? 

Narrator: Is that unusual?

Ben: Yeah! You don’t bring in some new guy and let him swing his balls around. I had to take him in hand.

Narrator: You had to get a grip on his balls.

Ben: Oh, I got a grip on him alright.

Narrator: …

Ben: …

Narrator: Where was your first meeting?

Ben: Uh, lemme think. It partway through the primaries. We were trailing behind Meyer. Kent got brought on to improve Hughes’s likeability. Connect with the core. That’s a fucking joke. Have you _spoken_ to Kent? He’s not fucking likeable. At all.

Narrator: Actually, he’s very popular among the interns and junior staffers.

Ben: What?

Narrator: Especially women.

Ben: They don’t count!

Narrator: Women?

Ben: Interns and junior staffers.

Narrator: Ah.

Ben: Did you do a poll or something?

Narrator: We’ve done some preliminary interviews and asked them about the senior staff.

Ben: What did they say about me?

Narrator: That you’re a functioning alcoholic.

Ben: You had to survey the morons to find that out?

Narrator: They also said that you were frequently hostile and borderline abusive.

Ben: That’s my job. To keep the whiny little fuckers in check. Do you know how many staff we have?

Narrator: I have the numbers here somewhere… 

Ben: Too many. I had to draft Kent in to help. I make him deal with all the harassment cases. I fucking hate those complaints.

Narrator: You don’t feel that they’re a valid use of your time?

Ben: No, of course not. Some little shit thinks he’s entitled to make women feel frightened or whatever the fuck and I have to spend time pretending I don’t want to punch him. If I was going to spend all day punching assholes in the face, most of Congress is higher on my list.

Narrator: Oh, I see.

Ben: What were we talking about? The first time I met Kent. Right. Early in the primaries and it didn’t look like we were going to make it through. We were in a hotel room and Hughes brought Kent in. He was nervous. He was making out like he wasn’t, but his hands were shaking. He was in jeans and a top. First thing I did was make him go get changed. It’s a professional job. He wants to come in and be the big swinging dick then he should look like a professional.

Narrator: How did he take that?

Ben: He made some smart-ass comment about at least he didn’t look like he slept in his clothes. Have you seen him in casual clothes? His jeans are so tight. It’s distracting. Nobody wants to see his fucking bulge. I’m trying to work and all I can see is that.

Narrator: You could… not look.

Ben: He could dress in a way that wasn’t designed to say “hey, look at my tight ass and big dick.”

Narrator: …

Ben: It’s called being professional.

Narrator: It must be difficult working with someone who arouses such strong feelings.

Ben: It is. It’s fucking hard when he arouses me. But you know he hasn’t been here continuously, right? He left after the election and was out for a year doing, I don’t fucking know what.

Narrator: He was the Head of Statistical Research at MIT.

Ben: That’s an overimportant title. Like being floor manager at McDonalds. You ever do a customer service job? I think it should be a damn legal requirement. I worked weekends at my uncle’s garage. Builds character.

Narrator: That’s a common belief.

Ben: I bet Kent never did a summer job. You should ask him about that. Have you spoken to him yet?

Narrator: I’m talking to him next.

***

Narrator: Thank you for agreeing to talk to me, I know that you’re very busy.

Kent: The president is keen for you to have an appropriate level of access.

Narrator: I am so grateful for your time. Um, right. I was speaking to Ben Cafferty before. You and he are the two longest lasting staffers in the West Wing.

Kent: Historically turnover of staff at the West Wing is higher than the national average. That’s not surprising given the pressure or the scrutiny.

Narrator: You’ve given evidence before several committees, is that the form of scrutiny that you’re thinking about?

Kent: That’s part of it. There’s also the unwelcome attention of the press and even at times the public.

Narrator: Oh.

Kent: It can make a social life quite difficult.

Narrator: Do you… Do you have an active social life?

Kent: I have interests outside of work. I enjoy several outdoor pursuits. Many of the people with whom I choose to associate with outside of work don’t follow politics, but every so often I’m recognised and that can be… tiresome.

Narrator: Was that something that you were aware of as an issue before you joined the administration?

Kent: I was aware of it as a concept, but I wasn’t aware how intrusive it could be. Forgive me, doubtless listening to me talk about this is hardly scintillating footage.

Narrator: Oh, no, I’m thrilled to listen to anything you have to say.

Kent: …

Narrator: Uh, so, unlike Ben Cafferty, your background isn’t in politics. You’ve actually had quite a varied career. How did you come to work for President Hughes?

Kent: He recruited me out of MIT. I was ready for a new challenge. I had already worked in industry and I was working in academia. Politics was a logical direction in which to swim.

Narrator: But why you, particularly?

Kent: We got talking in the gym.

Narrator: … In a gym?

Kent: He was in town with the campaign.

Narrator: Oh. Is that… common?

Kent: Politicians meeting men in gyms?

Narrator: …Yeah

Kent: President Hughes spends a lot of time with men in gyms.

Narrator: Huh

Kent: I can’t speak to other politicians. I’m not particularly aware of President Meyer’s exercise regime.

Narrator: So, after that… conversation, he offered you a position inside the administration?

Kent: Yes, he offered me a position that was somewhat out of my comfort zone. Fortunately, I’m quite flexible and enjoying new and challenging positions.

Narrator: Ben Cafferty seemed to be less enthusiastic about it.

Kent: Ben is like a dog with a bone. If he thinks that you’re going to touch it then he will become quite hostile.

Narrator: He doesn’t like people touching his bone?

Kent: He’s very protective of his bone. It’s quite frustrating.

Narrator: Does he frustrate you often?

Kent: Frequently.

Narrator: Because he won’t let you touch his bone.

Kent: Among other things.

Narrator: How was your first day working for then Senator Hughes?

Kent: The campaign was foundering, largely due to a series of PR catastrophes that made both President Hughes and the First Lady as elitist, superior, and out of touch.

Narrator: Your focus was to show that wasn’t true?

Kent: No.

Narrator: No?

Kent: He was elitist, superior, and out of touch. He’s a life-long politician. That’s how they are. Half of public relations for political campaigns is convincing the great American public that someone who doesn’t even bother to dial his own phone, is just like them.

Narrator: Someone you want to have a beer with.

Kent: Precisely. It’s a ridiculous metric by which to pick a political leader and yet it is the most important. So, my first task was to right the ship regarding President Hughes public perception.

Narrator: Ben Cafferty said he had an issue with how you were dressed.

Kent: Ben had an issue with my existence. He took it upon himself to ride me as hard as possible.

Narrator: Has that changed?

Kent: It varies, largely dependent on his mood. Sometimes he rides me harder than others.

Narrator: Do you think riding you hard makes him happy?

Kent: Happy? No. Nothing makes Ben happy. I think he finds riding me… satisfying. I’ve long since learned to ignore him. Responding would doubtless only serve to encourage him.

Narrator: You don’t want to give him more satisfaction?

Kent: I think I’ve given Ben more than enough satisfaction over the years.

Narrator: Hmm

Kent: Does that cover everything? I should be returning to my duties.

Narrator: Oh! Oh… Uh, yes. Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much for your time!

The end


End file.
